It’s not typically a person catches lightning in a bottle.
It’s virtually exceptional to catch it twice.
However that’s what Republican Scott Brown, previously of Massachusetts, is making an attempt to do in New Hampshire.
Brown, 65, the final Republican Senator from Massachusetts, is working for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire the place he was born and the place he returned to after serving as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand.
Catching lightning in a bottle is a phrase that goes again to Benjamin Franklin who supposedly tied a key to a kite throughout a storm to catch a bolt of lightning for his bottle in his experiment with electrical energy.
It didn’t fairly occur that approach, however that’s the fantasy, which at all times performs higher than the reality.
It was a tremendous accomplishment anyway. Therefore the phrase.
Brown, politically talking, did the identical factor when as a comparatively unknown Republican state senator he got here out of nowhere like a bolt of lightning in 2010 to get elected to the U.S. Senate.
He stormed the state in his beat up previous crimson pickup to upset Democrat Legal professional Basic Martha Coakley, the clear favourite, in closely Democrat Massachusetts. It was a particular election to fill out the Senate time period of longtime Sen. Ted Kennedy who had simply died.
It was a startling marketing campaign victory, if not heard all over the world, was actually heard on the White Home, then occupied by President Barack Obama.
Two years later the Democrats backed Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren who, with backing from Obama and the Democrat institution, defeated Brown for election to a full six-year time period.
Brown, married to former Boston tv reporter (WCVB-TV) Gail Huff, moved again to New Hampshire the place his household has deep roots.
In 2014 he ran unsuccessfully towards incumbent Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, shedding by a mere three factors.
Now, after a stint as President Donald Trump’ ambassador to New Zealand, Brown is working once more. Solely this time the senate seat is open as Shaheen has opted to not search re-election.
Brown, to date the one Republican working, bought into the race after former New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu dominated out a run.
The lone Democrat working is three time period U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, whose declare to fame is that he defeated Republican challenger Karoline Leavitt in 2022.
It was one of the best factor that occurred to Leavitt since she went on to develop into Trump’s efficient White Home press secretary who has extra entry to the president than Pappas, or every other Democrat, may ever dream of getting.
So, search for Trump to take a eager curiosity within the Brown marketing campaign, not solely as a result of Brown is a supporter and was an envoy, however he may use his vote within the Senate. Brown additionally has Leavitt on his aspect as nicely.
Additionally, New Hampshire has been a sore spot for Trump. He has not carried the state within the 3 times he has run for president. He misplaced the state to Hillary Clinton in 2016, to Joe Biden in 2020 and to Kamala Harris in 2024.
All of this befell earlier than Trump, within the brief months he has been president the second time round, has developed into probably the most highly effective, efficient and related presidents because the Roosevelt/Truman period.
The most recent instance of his management is the passage of his massive, lovely invoice that each one the Democrats opposed.
Earlier than it handed the Home, the Senate authorized it on a slim 51 to 50 vote with all of the Democrats, together with Shaheen voting towards it. Vice President JD Vance was known as upon to interrupt the tie.
Brown would have voted for it.
A Brown victory in New Hampshire can be a victory for Trump. Let’s see if lightning strikes twice.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas could be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
